We had some super warm days here in New England which seemed like perfect timing for a burger. This burger had dried cranberries mixed into it, brie on top, and a lemon-y aoli. Jazzing up the aoli or ketchup definitely makes a burger feel more special. Lemon pepper aoli spread is so easy and I used some leftovers for egg salad.

Ingredients:

ground beef/turkey/chicken/pork
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp garlic, minced
brie cheese
2 tbs mayo
1 tsp lemon juice
ground pepper
hamburger rolls

Directions:

Mix together the ground meat, cranberries, garlic, and salt & pepper.

Then form into patties and grill until cooked through.

Mix together the mayo, lemon juice, and pepper.
When the burgers are mostly cooked, top with brie until melted.

Serve with some dijon mustard and lemon/pepper aoli.

These were great. I liked the chewy and tartness the cranberries added with the creamy brie. So good. The zing of the aoli kept it from being too rich. These were good burgers and seemingly appropriate for winter burgers!

What MAKES this burger not your average burger, is the vehicle the Texas toast provides. I never have Texas toast but I was obsessed with this idea and it took a few weeks to come to fruition. Texas Toast bakes up surprisingly soft and easy to bite through for a burger! My toppings could probably get more amped up a bit, but dinner was fast approaching. The burger gets BBQ sauce in it, and on it, with some meat rub, onion, and some great flavors. I topped the bread-shaped patties with colby jack cheese and a bbq sauce/ketchup smear.

Ingredients:

4 slices of cheesy Texas Toast
1/4 pound ground beef/chicken/pork
1/4 white onion, diced finely
1/3 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp yellow mustard
2 tbs dry rub
2 slices colby jack cheese

Directions:

Mix the meat with onion, bbq sauce, liquid smoke, worcestershire sauce, and mustard.

(we did his & hers patties of beef=his & ground chicken=hers)

Form into thin oblong patties, keeping in mind the size of the Texas toast.
Dust the outside with the rub.
Bake the Texas toast according to the package (likely 8-12 minutes).
Grill until cooked through, being careful not to overcook.
Top with cheese & sprinkle some more rub onto the burger.

Mix together 1 part bbq sauce & 1 part ketchup.
Assemble the burger with chopped lettuce, pickles, burger, and BBQ/ketchup sauce.
Enjoy!

I was a bit fearful that the bread would be too crusty and thus hard to eat since it is also so thick! It wasn’t at all! Yee-haw! I loved the smokey flavors and how juicy the burgers came out being. I’m telling you, liquid smoke goes so nicely here. Get some.  It’ll take your chili to the next level.

Yum. We loved this. I have the other half of the Texas toast package so we’ll see where that goes. It seems like just the perfect snack…just saying.

Does the swiss cheese and arugula make this American burger acceptable for Bastille Day? Ohh well, not quite on-theme but I once went to Bastille Day at the French Library in Boston and the crepe toppings included M&Ms so this is wayyy more appropriate for this French holiday (or my fav Parisian Burger). This burger has the buttery sautéed mushrooms that remind me of a steakhouse side dish. They are little sponges to soak up the butter and give an earthy flavor. Some melted swiss + herb aoli + arugula round this out perfectly. This is soooo good as a burger, but could easily be a piece of chicken or steak on the grill then topped with the mushrooms & swiss.

Ingredients:

2 burger patties seasoned with salt & pepper (mine was ground chicken & Mr. J’s was ground beef)
2 buns
1 cup of baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
2 tbs butter
2-3 tbs mayo
fresh herbs of your choosing: I used: oregano; basil; chives; & rosemary
2 slices of swiss
arugula or spinach

Directions:

Heat the grill or a grill pan and begin cooking the burgers to your preferred done-ness.
Warm a skillet to medium-low heat. Add the butter to melt.
Sauté the mushrooms for about 3 minutes, stirring regularly.

Mix together the mayo & herbs. I have a bunch of thriving herbs so I grabbed some of a bunch of them. You could easily just use whatever 2 you might have on hand. I had a 1:1 ratio of the mayo so it was suuuuper herby.

Lightly grill the buns at the end and top the burgers with the mushrooms then the cheese.
Assemble each burger with bun > arugula > burger > mushrooms > swiss > herb aoli on the top bun.

It was Mr. J’s idea, our grillmaster, to hold the mushrooms on with the cheese. They were so good on this burger. I love mushrooms but not everyone is such a fan. I think because these are baby portobellos with a bit more flavor and after they’ve bathed in butter, anyone would like them!